Democrats will use a procedural maneuver preventing the GOP from offering an amendmentto extend all of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts.

Republicans immediately voiced alarm at the move. While the vote would prevent tax hikes on Americans earning $250,000 or less, small businesses would face steep tax increases under the Democrats’ plan.

Without an opportunity to offer amendments, Republicans are expected to vote against the measure. By doing so they’ll give Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) one final opportunity to demagogue the issue. However, it will likely be a short-lived victory. The measure has little chance of passing in the Senate.

It makes perfect sense that 2010 tsunami survivors like Chandler, Shuler, and Altmire would reject this scheme to further shore up their anti-Pelosi chops. But why did so many defeated, lame duck Democrats vote no? Maybe they experienced a collective fit of economic sanity -- as "blue dog" instincts came to the fore. Or, in the cases of folks like Zach Space, Melissa Bean, Jon Adler, and Brad Ellsworth, perhaps they're already gaming out grand political comebacks in 2012.